Receptacle



J. D. WILSON Oct. 24, 1967 RECEPTACLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 2, 1965 J. D. WILSON RECEPTACLE 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 2, 1965 United States Patent M 3,348,723 RECEPTACLE James D. Wilson, Long Beach, Calif., assignor to Banner Metals, Inc., Compton, Calif., a corporation of Ohio Filed Aug. 2, 1965, Ser. No. 476, 435 3 Claims. (Cl. 220-6) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention is concerned with knock-down bins, for example, of the wire mesh type. The bin of the invention uses a usual warehouse pallet as a bottom; and the side and end walls of the bin are wire mesh, and are hooked to the pallet bottom. One side wall of the bin is hinged to one end wall, and the other side wall is hinged to the other end wall. The side and end walls are then secured together by a slide bolt and latching arrangement.

The present invention relates to knock-down bins, and it is more particularly concerned with an improved structure which includes a pallet bottom and wire-formed removable sides.

The usual warehouse pallet is a shallow, double-faced Wooden or metal platform. It usually measures about forty-eight inches by forty inches. The pallet is used in warehouses for storing. and transporting materials. The wooden pallet, for example, is composed of boards which constitute the upper and lower faces. These faces are separated by spaced and parallel rectangular stringers which extend from one end of the pallet to the other. The construction of the pallet is such that it may be conveniently handled by fork trucks.

Pallet assemblies have been proposed in the past which include upstanding posts at each corner, so as to permit stacking of the loaded pallets. Moreover, pallet assemblies including side panels have also been proposed in the past to serve as bins.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved pallet bin assembly which includes wire-formed sides and ends, and which sides and ends can be quickly attached in place to the pallet bottom without the need for tools; and which sides and ends can also be quickly removed from the bottom and folded flat so as to occupy a minimum of space.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide such an improved pallet-bin assembly which is rugged and sturdy in its construction and in which the wire-formed sides and ends, when in place, are rigidly attached to one another and rigidly supported on the pallet bottom.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide such an improved pallet-bin assembly which may be manufact-ured at a relatively low cost and sold at a relatively low price.

A feature of the invention is the fact that the wireformed side and end walls can be mounted on a usual, existing pallet, and locked into place, without any necessity to modify the pallet in any way.

Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent upon a consideration of the following specification, when the specification is taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a knock-down binpallet assembly constructed in accordance wtih one embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the assembly of FIGURE 1, and particularly illus trating hook-shaped brackets which serve to attach the wire-formed end walls of the assembly to the pallet bottom;

Patented Oct. 24, 1967 FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the assembly of FIGURE 1, and illustrating particularly a bolt and latch assembly, a multiplicity of which are used in the assembly of the invention to hold the side and end walls together;

FIGURE 4A-4C are perspective representations, showing the manner in which the wire-formed side and end walls may be mounted on the pallet bottom, in setting up a bin constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and

FIGURE 5 shows the manner in which two or more like bins, constructed in accordance with the concepts of the invention may be stacked upon one another.

As illustrated, for example, in FIGURE '1, the improved assembly of the invention includes, for example, a bottom 10. The bottom 10 may be in the form of a usual conventional pallet.

The pallet includes a plurality of boards 12 which are fastened, for example, to three elongated stringers 14, and which form the upper face of the bottom 10.

The stringers 14 extend in spaced parallel relationship from one end of the pallet to the other. A further plurality of boards 18 are also fastened to the stringers 14, and these latter boards make up the lower face of the pallet. The upper and lower faces of the pallets are separated by the stringers 14.

The bin assembly illustrated in FIGURE 1 includes a first wire-formed side wall 20 which is attached to a first end wall 22 by means, for example, of a hinge coupling at one end of the first side and end walls. This hinge coupling is such that these two walls may be laid fiat, when in a disassembled condition, so as to conserve space.

The assembly also includes a second and identical wireformed side wall 24, which is attached to a second wireformed end wall 26, at one end thereof, by means, for example, of an appropriate hinged coupling.

The end walls 22 and 24 may have gates 30 and 32 hinged therein, so as to provide a convenient access to the interior of the bin, when the bin is stacked, for example, with a plurality of similar bins. The gates 30 and 32 may be hooked closed, by any appropriate means.

The side wall 20 has a pair of bolts 34 formed in its free end, and these bolts engage corresponding latches 36 in the free end of the end wall 26, as best shown, for example, in FIGURE 3.

The wire-formed end walls 22 and 26' have a plurality of brackets 40 attached to the lower edge thereof. As best shown in FIGURE 2, for example, each of the brackets 40 has a hook-shaped configuration, and it is adapted to extend under the end board 12 of the upper face of the pallet bottom 10, so as to engage the under side of the upper face.

As best shown in FIGURES 4A-4C, the wire-formed side and end walls may best be mounted on the bottom 10, by first booking the end wall 22 in place, as shown in FIGURE 4A; and by then hooking the end wall 26 in place, as best shown in FIGURE 4B. The side wall 22 may then be turned so that it extends along the side of the pallet bottom 10, and it may be bolted to the end wall 26, as shown in FIGURE 4C. Then, the side wall 24 may be turned into place, and it may be bolted to the end wall 20. The side and end walls are then rigidly supported on the pallet bottom 10 by the brackets 40.

It will be appreciated, therefore, that the improved bin assembly of the present invention may be used in conjunction with a usual, conventional pallet, without any need to modify the pallet in any way. When the bin of the present invention is in a knock-down condition, its side walls and end walls may be folded down on one another, so as to form a fiat, compact package, requiring a minimum of space.

Then, in order to set up the bin of the assembly of the invention, it is merely necessary to follow the steps illustrated in FIGURE 4A4C, so that the assembly can be placed in an operational condition, in a matter of seconds.

The top edge of the side walls may be bent over, as shown, so as to permit a stack of the receptacles to be tiered on top of one another, as shown in FIGURE 5. As also noted, the ,end gates 30 and 32 provide a convenient access to the interior of the bins, especially when they are in the stacked condition, as shown in FIGURE 5.

It will be appreciated that although a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and described,

modifications may be made. It is intended in the accompanying claims to cover all the embodiments which fall.

within the concepts of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A knock-down bin including: a double-faced rectangular-shaped bottom pallet member having an upper face and a lower face and including a plurality of transversely extending boards forming each face and supported and separated from one another by a plurality of interposed elongated stringer members spaced from one another; a first lattice-like wire-formed side member and a first lattice-like wire-formed end member hinged to one another along respective edges thereof and adapted to be supported in an upright position on a first side edge and on a first end edge respectively of the upper face of said pallet member; a plurality of bolts slidably mounted on one of said first membersat the free end thereof and a plurality of latches mounted on the other of said first members at the free end thereof; a second lattice-like wire-formed side member and a second lattice-like wire-. formed endmember hinged to one another at respective edges thereof and adapted to be respectively supported in an upright position on a second side edge and on a second end edge of the upper face of said pallet member; a plurality of bolts mounted on one of said second members at the free end thereof and a plurality of latches mounted on the other of said second members at the free end thereof, said bolts on said first member being positioned slidably to engage said latches on said second member, and said bolts on said second member being positioned slidably to engage said latches on said first member when said first and second members are in place on said pallet member; and a plurality of brackets mounted on each of said end members adjacent the lower edge thereof, each of said brackets-being configured to extend around the edge and under the top face of the pallet adjacent a corresponding one of said stringer members to engage the underside of said upper face and a side of said corresponding stringer member, said brackets serving to prevent movement of said first and second members transversely with respect to said upper face of said pallet member and to prevent movement of said first and second members perpendicularly to the plane of said upper face.

2. The knock-down bin defined in claim 1 and which includes a hinged gate formed in at least one of said lattice-like wire-formed members.

3. The knock-down bin defined in claim 2 in which the top edge of said side walls are bent over so as to permit a stack of life bins to be tiered on top of one another.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,738,940 3/1956 Coit 220-19 X 2,780,381 2/1957 Coit 220-19 X 2,897,995 9/1959 Farrar 1()855 X 2,975,929 3/1961 Sjoblorn 220-'-1.5 X

FOREIGN PATENTS 868,455 5/1961 Great Britain.

98,497 6/ 1961 Norway.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

G. E. LOWRANCE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A KNOCK-DOWN BIN INCLUDING: A DOUBLE-FACED RECTANGULAR-SHAPED BOTTOM PALLET MEMBER HAVING AN UPPER FACE AND A LOWER FACE AND INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF TRANVERSELY EXTENDING BOARDS FORMING EACH FACE AND SUPPORTED AND SEPARATED FROM ONE ANOTHER BY A PLURALITY OF INTERPOSED ELONGATED STRINGER MEMBERS SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER; A FIRST LATTICE-LIKE WIRE-FORMED SIDE MEMBER AND A FIRST LATTICE-LIKE WIRE-FORMED END MEMBER HINGED TO ONE ANOTHER ALONG RESPECTIVE EDGES THEREOF AND ADAPTED TO BE SUPPORTED IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION ON A FIRST SIDE EDGE AND ON A FIRST END EDGE RESPECTIVELY OF THE UPPER FACE OF SAID PALLET MEMBER; A PLURALITY OF BOLTS SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON ONE OF SAID FIRST MEMBERS AT THE FREE END THEREOF AND A PLURALITY OF LATCHES MOUNTED ON THE OTHER OF SAID FIRST MEMBERS AT THE FREE END THEREOF; A SECOND LATTICE-LIKE WIRE-FORMED SIDE MEMBER AND A SECOND LATTICE-LIKE WIREFORMED END MEMBER HINGED TO ONE ANOTHER AT RESPECTIVE EDGES THEREOF AND ADAPTED TO BE RESPECTIVELY SUPPORTED IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION ON A SECOND SIDE EDGE AND ON A SECOND END EDGE OF THE UPPER FACE OF SAID PALLET MEMBER; A PLURALITY OF BOLTS MOUNTED ON ONE OF SAID SECOND MEMBERS AT THE FREE END THEREOF AND A PLURALITY OF LATCHES MOUNTED ON THE OTHER OF SAID SECOND MEMBERS AT THE FREE END THEREOF, SAID BOLTS ON SAID FIRST MEMBER BEING POSITIONED SLIDABLY TO ENGAGE SAID LATCHES ON SAID SECOND MEMBER, AND SAID BOLTS ON SAID SECOND MEMBER BEING POSITIONED SLIDABLY TO ENGAGE SAID LATCHES ON SAID FIRST MEMBER WHEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEMBERS ARE IN PLACE ON SAID PALLET MEMBER; AND A PLURALITY OF BRACKETS MOUNTED ON EACH OF SAID END MEMBERS ADJACENT THE LOWER EDGE THEREOF, EACH OF SAID BRACKETS BEING CONFIGURED TO EXTEND AROUND THE EDGE AND UNDER THE TOP FACE OF THE PALLET ADJACENT A CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID STRINGER MEMBERS TO ENGAGE THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID UPPER FACE AND A SIDE OF SAID CORRESPONDING STRINGER MEMBER, SAID BRACKETS SERVING TO PREVENT MOVEMENT OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEMBERS TRANSVERSELY WITH RESPECT TO SAID UPPER FACE OF SAID PALLET MEMBER AND TO PREVENT MOVEMENT OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEMBERS PERPENDICULAR TO THE PLANE OF SAID UPPER FACE. 